Athletics doping scandal Q&A: Russian revelations 'just the tip of the iceberg'

Sebastian Coe has a huge task to rescue athletics’ reputation

Richard McLaren, the former World Anti-Doping Agency president, Dick Pound and cybercrime expert Günter Younger (GETTY)

Q | Are any other countries involved in the scandal or is it just Russia?

A | The reality is that we will know for sure towards the end of the year when Dick Pound and his independent commission reveal the findings of the second part of their investigation into the leaked blood passports from the IAAF. But yesterday he made it clear the Russian scandal was “just the tip of the iceberg” and he expected other nations to be dragged into the mess. Kenya and Turkey are two countries thought to be heavily investigated, with a high number of athletes banned because of failed doping tests.

Q | How does this affect the London Games? Has it tainted it? Can medals be redistributed?

A | Pound may be overegging it at this stage to say the illegal actions of 800m gold medallist Mariya Savinova and bronze medallist Ekaterina Poistogova had “sabotaged” the Games but the inference again is the Russian doping is wider than athletics and that in time other sports or Wada as a whole will delve into possible wrongdoing. The request for Savinova and Poistogova to be banned will have to go through the slow and lengthy process but, if those sanctions are backed, the medals will be redistributed. In the case of London 2012, however, and the 800m, that would not affect any Britons as the only British athlete in the event at those Games, Lynsey Sharp, failed to make the final.

Q | How will Russia respond? Denial, indignation, bang to rights?

A | Russia appears to have come out all guns blazing in its initial defence. The Russian Minister for Sport, Vitaly Mutko, has threatened to pull the plug on any more financial support to fight doping within Russia while effectively saying Russia is no worse than any other nation. Other under-fire bodies within the country have responded similarly but expect Russia to soften its stance when Wada and the IAAF threaten or implement sanctions.

Q | What does Coe do now? Does he wish he had never taken the job? And does he have the power to clean things up?

A | Coe has made it quite clear that he was not aware of the level of misdeeds going on with Russia but more importantly with his predecessor as IAAF president, Lamine Diack. While he will be scratching his head how to solve the problem, he will love the idea that he has the potential to become athletics’ saviour. Whether he proves capable of doing that is the big question.

Q | What now for athletics? How can it ever be seen as clean again?

A | The inference in Geneva is things will get worse before they get better, much as in cycling. That sport is still on a lengthy path back to regaining the faith of its followers – athletics faces the same journey.